Triwizard Worldwide
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Teddy makes it to the Triwizard World Tournament.
1. What Happened Before

_**LbN: Written for Hppjdragpncode's World Triwizard Challenge. Happy reading. :)**_

* * *

"_Teddy…are you—"_

"_Stop, Harry," Teddy said with a grin. "You're doing it again. I'm sure."_

"_This isn't something you can just quit, if you get chosen."_

"_I know that. And I know that I can do this. Do you not think I can?"_

"_No!_ _I think you'd be great… it's just that I want to know that you've thought about this."_

"_I have," Teddy assured him. "And if I'm chosen, I'll be careful. I promise."_

_Harry nodded._

* * *

_Teddy's heart pounded as the Beauxbatons boy disappeared through the doorway. There was only Hogwarts left now. He watched the flames in the goblet go from blue to red once more, and sparks fly as it expelled a piece of parchment. _

_Headmistress Krane smiled as she unfolded it. "The Hogwarts Champion—Teddy Lupin!"_

_The noise from the Slytherin table was deafening. Teddy sat shock still, and had to be pulled to his feet by Freddie Weasley, who had run over from the Ravenclaw table. _

"_You got it!" he yelled over the crowd. "Get moving!"_

* * *

"_Bloody hell," Ginny said, looking at the paper. "Bloody hell!"_

"_What?" Harry asked._

"_Teddy's one of the leaders in the standings!" She walked over to the couch and snuggled against Harry. "He's in fifth place worldwide."_

"_After…?"_

"_A kid named Jessi, from America—she's in fourth. Then it's Sheng, Ayira, and a boy named Syd is in first. But the Asian cup has been close—that kid Kyosuke could overtake him if he wins the last task."_

"_The entire thing is close. I wouldn't be surprised if the final standing is completely different."_

_Ginny smiled at him. "You're just hoping he won't have to go on."_

"_He's been cut up, knocked unconscious, and frozen solid…. I'm terrified of what else they'll put him through if he gets to the World Cup."_

"_He'll be okay. He's just as stubborn as his godfather."_

* * *

_Teddy didn't stop running, even though he had the cup. He ran even though he was at the starting zone. He ran straight into the stands to where Harry sat with Ginny and James. Dropping the cup, he threw his arms around his godfather. "I did it."_

"_Looks like we're going to America," Harry said, smiling at him. _


	2. The Goblet of Fire

**Triwizard Worldwide**

The summer careened by so fast that everyone was caught a bit by surprise when August came around. Teddy's last day in England was spent in absolute chaos. "Okay," he said finally, the third time he'd run upstairs to check his room. "I have underwear, pants, and robes. They're sending spell books along ahead of us. I have quills. Anything else, I can get there. Enough already."

Andromeda laughed and put her book back on the shelf. "Are you ready to go to Harry's?"

"I think so. Are you sure…?"

"Teddy, we've been over this. I will come up for your tasks, but I think it would be better for you to have Harry stay with you."

"Okay. I'll owl you tomorrow when we get there," Teddy said, tapping his trunk and bags with his wand. His things disappeared—sent to Grimmauld Place—and he pulled on his jacket. "Love you."

"I love you too," Andromeda said. She pulled him into a hug. "Be safe."

* * *

"We'll take a Portkey over, since James is nowhere near old enough to Apparate," Harry told Teddy. "What does your letter say to do once we get there?"

"I'm to check in at the Hogwarts dorm. I'll be allowed to drop my things at the registration booth, and they'll be sent up. After that, they're taking all the champions on a tour of the place—some place outside of San Antonio. It's an abandoned rock quarry to Muggles."

"We'll have to drop you off before we check in at our flat, I suppose."

"I have to be there at nine, it says."

Harry nodded and put a hand on Teddy's shoulder. "I suppose I should go make sure the boy is packed then…."

"Will Albus and Lily be able to come for any of the events?"

"Probably not. Ginny's schedule is hectic, and they're a bit young for everything. James and I will be there the whole time, though, to cheer you on."

* * *

Teddy was going to die—he knew that for certain. The moment he'd landed from the Portkey trip, he'd nearly fainted from the heat. "Harry," he said, feeling like he was about to faint. "What the hell?"

Harry laughed. "Come on, let's get you signed in."

They wandered over to a door underneath the "Welcome" banner. There were a few witches and wizards there, all of whom waved him over to the registration booth.

"Name?" the witch at the booth asked cheerfully.

"Teddy Lupin."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I was rooting for you," she told him. "You and Jessi, of course. I'm a Salem grad myself, so kind of had to cheer her on. Here's your room number—633, on the fourth floor. Your building is the Hogwarts and Kyoto dorm. Hogwarts rooms are on the fourth and fifth floor, Kyoto's on the second and third. Your classrooms are on the ground floor. We'll give you the grand tour of the rest of campus when the rest of the champions get here. My name's Laramie," she said, holding out her hand. "If you need anything before term starts, just let me know."

"Cheers," Teddy said, smiling. He waved for Harry and James to follow him and led the way up to his dorm.

"She liked you," Harry teased.

"That's quite enough from you," Teddy muttered, blushing.

* * *

There were only two other beds in Teddy's dorm. One had a Ravenclaw banner hanging from it, and the other had a Hufflepuff banner. "Dylan and Paris must've gotten permission to come."

"Who all was allowed to come?" James asked, bouncing onto Teddy's bed.

"Fifth, sixth and seventh years with high marks. They have to get their parents' permission though," Teddy explained.

"You alright here? It's about time for us to check in at our flat."

"I'll be fine. I'm going to unpack, and then we have the tour."

"Right then. We'll be back later for the feast."

* * *

Teddy jogged down to the main hall again. He saw the rest of the champions standing around. He already knew Ayira—she'd introduced herself earlier that day. The others looked up as he approached.

"You must be Teddy," a boy with an accent thicker than Teddy's said. "I'm Owen."

"New Zealand, right?" Teddy asked, shaking his hand.

"That's right! This is Jessi, and Kyosuke. Ayira said she knows you already. Er…and over there is Matteo. He's not the social type."

"He's a jerk, in other words," Jessie said, pulling her black and blonde hair into a ponytail. "You keep up with his interviews during the Continental Tournaments? He's a tool. Thinks he's some sort of god…."

The boy in question was surrounded by his mates, giving the group of champions a sneering look every once in a while.

"Eh…he'll come around," Teddy said. "We'll be living together, basically. It's nice to meet all of you."

"And you," Kyosuke said.

"Are you all ready?" Laramie said, coming over to them. "Matteo! Let's get started."

Matteo sauntered over, looking supremely annoyed that he'd been ripped from his conversation. "As you wish," he said.

They spent the next hour walking around the quarry, looking at the complex. The dorms and main hall were in the first section. The area they would be competing in was in the second section, blocked off by a rock wall. They walked through the dorms, Laramie going over the rules. When they got to the Matteo's dorm, he broke off from the group.

"Where you at, Matt?" Laramie called.

He peeked out of his room. "I'm good," he said. "I'll be here if the champions have to do anything important."

Teddy caught Jessi rolling her eyes and stifled a laugh.

"Fine," Laramie said. "Let's get back down to the main hall."

* * *

Students began swarming the complex the next day. Teddy and Kyosuke stayed around the main hall, hanging out with the sixth year Slytherins who'd be staying there. By the time everyone was there, Teddy had an arsenal of things to put in his first letter to his grandmother. First, Americans weren't as uncivilized as she thought. Close, but not quite. Second, the heat only took an hour or so to get used to. Third, she was wrong about the food. It was horrible. Sure, he'd only had one meal—something called a chalupa—but still. He'd be owling Grandmum Weasley for food. Hopefully the food at the feast would be better.

He sat next to Freddie at the students and the champions' families filled the main hall. "Ready for this?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Freddie asked, punching his arm.

"I guess," Teddy said, chuckling. He sat back in his chair as the lights dimmed and the headmasters of the respective schools filed into the hall and stood at the head table. The panic he'd felt the past year came back to him as the international judges came in behind them. The final judge came in and tapped the casket with his wand. It fell away to reveal the Goblet of Fire.

**_LbN: Had to do another sort of intro, but the story will kick off next chapter in full force. :)_**


	3. The New Champions

_**LbN: Shout out to Sara Winters! Thanks for helping me find my Muse!**_

"My name is Steven Watkins, President of the Southwestern Sorcery Association," he said. "It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the first ever Triwizard World Cup." He paused, smiling as the crowd broke into applause. "I'd like to introduce my collegues to you now. Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shaklebolt."

Kingsley stood and bowed to the audience.

"Headmistress Krane, of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Krane gave a regal wave.

"Principal Garwin, of the Salem Institute of Magic. Master Goro of the Kyoto Majick Academy. Principal Emory of the Dunedin School of Sorcery. Faustus Navarro, of the Caracas School of Enchantment. And finally, Headmistress Ndiaye of the South African Girls' Magic Academy."

The audience clapped as the judges waved and bowed to the audience.

"This year is going to be exciting," he said. "But more importantly, it will be important to our nations. Important to strengthen the bond between our magical communities. I hope the friendships you make this year will last you for the rest of your years. Now, I invite Ayira Traore to place her name into the Goblet of Fire."

One by one, the champions were called up to submit their names. Once all five had returned to their seats, Watkins returned to the center of the stage. "Thank you, champions. We wish you all the best of luck. And now, let the feast begin!"

* * *

The start of the term was chaos, despite the relatively small number of students. Between getting into the groove of classes, trying to make friends with the other schools, floods of fan mail and well wishes, and the escalating hex war with Matteo and his gang, Teddy was relieved when Friday afternoons came. After Potions, he went to his Animagus lessons with Lochland, a Gyrffindor seventh year.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen."

"Afternoon, Professor Exley."

"I'm glad to see you've gotten over your bout of…er…lovesickness."

Teddy felt his face and hair going red. It was one of the cleverer hexes Matteo had cursed him with. He'd spent all of the previous Monday desperately in love with Camp Bullis's signature ghost—Rebel Colonel Tate. Kyosuke had figured out the counter-curse just before dinner, and earned Teddy's undying gratitude. "Thanks, sir."

"Take out your wands. Let's see how far along you are."

"Teddy can do it without his wand already. Show off," Lochland said, grinning at him.

"Yeah…well I only tried it once, and I ended up with a tail for a few hours. I think I'll practice a bit more before I go wandless again."

Their professor chuckled. "Wise decision."

* * *

Teddy left his lesson an hour later, sore and slightly grumpy. As he left the classroom, massaging his arm, he bumped into Kyosuke. "Oh, sorry Kyo. Wasn't watching where I was going."

"That's okay. Do you want to walk to dinner with me? I'm meeting Ayira and Jessie there."

"Sure. Lochland's still trying to get his tail detached, so he'll be awhile."

"He's…doing what?"

Teddy laughed. "He and I are training to become Animagi. He's having a little bit more trouble turning back," he explained as they walked.

"And what is his animal form?"

"A fox. Mine is a wolf?"

"For your father?" Kyo asked tentatively.

Teddy quirked an eyebrow, surprised. "Yeah. But how did you know…?"

"I…eh…read your book."

"My book?"

"Jessie gave it to me. Written by a woman from your country—Rita Skeeter."

* * *

"Harry!" Teddy called, knocking on the door to the flat.

"What's up?" Harry asked, opening it. "What's wrong? Your hair's silver."

"Did you know I had a biography?"

"Eh?"

Teddy held the book up for him to see. "I got it from Kyo."

"_Teddy Lupin: More Than a Boy_?" Harry read. "What the—?"

"Apparently, we're the last to know. Well, us and Freddie. Explains why everyone's so nice to me," he said morosely.

"No…" Harry said. "People really do want to be friends with you, whatever this book says. Don't worry about it. Just focus on school, and this tournament. They're calling the champions tonight!"

Teddy managed a smile and took the book back. "Will you be at the feast?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

* * *

"Don't even think about it," Freddie said. "I'm serious, Teddy."

"I'm just curious."

"I know. That's why you shouldn't."

Teddy huffed. "It's about me," he said. "And it talks about my parents."

"Fine…. Just don't spend too long reading."

Teddy leaned back against the pillows on his bed and opened the book. He skipped over the introduction, not particularly caring why she'd decided to write about him. The first chapter was titled "The Lovable Halfbreed." His stomach jerked. In that moment, he knew this wasn't going to be flattering—at least, not to his parents. Taking Freddie's advice, he closed the book and stuck it in his trunk. He tucked his wand into his pocket and went to find some of his mates. He needed a good round of Exploding Snap to take his mind off things.

* * *

The hall was hushed, even though people were still eating. The atmosphere was thick with tension, everyone wanting the same thing—the names of the new champions.

Teddy picked at a slice of cake. Every once in a while, he'd glance up to the head table. It had to be nearly time!

Finally, Watkins stood up and moved to the Goblet of Fire. "Attention please!" he called, unnecessarily. "We will now hear the names of the champions. If your name is called, please come to the front. We will be taking you to the conference room to give you instructions as soon as all of the champions are named. And now…."

Teddy held his breath. He felt Freddie put a hand on his shoulder.

"The first champion," Watkins called as the flames emitted a piece of parchment, "Ayira Traore—South African Girls' Magic Academy!"

There was a roar of applause from her school. It took a while for Headmistress Ndiaye to get them all calmed down. By the time she had, the Goblet had released another name.

"The second champion," Watkins said, "Matteo Oropeza, Caracas School of Enchantment!"

Matteo gave a smirk, as if to say he'd known all along that he'd be picked.

If Ayira's friends had been excited, Matteo's were downright rowdy. They all stood, clapped and catcalled as Matteo made his way up to the front table. A few of them followed him up, carrying him the last part of the way on their shoulders. When they had returned to their seats, Watkins spoke again.

"And finally, our third champion. Ted Lupin, Hogwarts School—" The rest of his words were drowned out by cheers from the Hogwarts group—who were easily the biggest in number.

Teddy walked up to the table as if in a trance. He couldn't think. He couldn't hear properly. He had a sneaking suspicion that he had a goofy smile on his face, but there was nothing he could do about it. There was nothing he wanted to do about it. He'd made it.

Watkins smiled at him. Headmistress Krane beamed. Ayira gave him a high five, and Matteo simply scowled. The three of them followed the judges into the small conference room and sat at the table.

"Congratulations!" Watkins said, sweeping into the room. "We are all so very proud of you. Is there anything you want right now? I assume you may not have eaten your fill, what with all of the excitement." He waved his wand and a platter of sandwiches and cakes appeared.

Teddy took two of each, and snacked happily as Watkins explained what would happen next.

"We will have another Wand Weighing, just to be safe. After that, you'll have a nice three-week break before the first task. This task is to test your…adaptation skills. Again, we won't be telling you what it is, but you will be allowed your wand, and a cloak. Do you have any questions for me?"

"No, sir," they said.

"Very well, when you are finished eating, you may go." He led the way out of the room.

Headmistress Krane paused for just a moment to pat Teddy on the back. "Well done, all of you," she said. "Very well done."


	4. A Night Out

**Triwizard Worldwide**

One of the younger students from each school had been chosen to be judges' assistants, which was dead helpful for Teddy. He didn't have to wade through the swamp of rumors to get information, like in the last tournament. He could simply ask Freddie or one of the others. He'd been able to dodge everyone on the day of the wand weighing, and Freddie was always discreet when he had to take Teddy to an interview. Even though there were only three seventh years, it was still comforting that the younger boy didn't bust into the room proclaiming the press's love for Teddy….

As they finished up breakfast two weeks from the first task, they talked about possible challenges the champions would have to face.

"They're going on about you having to fight shapeshifters," Owen said, nodding to the table where the other New Zealand kids were sitting. "Werewolves and boggarts and such."

"They're full of it," Jessi said, shaking her head. "No one in their right mind would make us take on a werewolf."

"Calm down, you lot," Freddie said. "None of the judges has even mentioned the first task, other than the date. November 11th," he said, seeing their looks. "All of this stuff is just people making things up. Relax."

"Speaking of relaxing," Owen said, leaning in. "Tucker, one of the boys from Salem, is from around here. He's got a pool at his house—"

"And a theater room," Jessi said, grinning.

"He's invited us out."

"Are we allowed to do that?" Teddy asked.

"Only in trouble if we get caught, right?" Freddie said.

"Oi, Tuck!" Owen called, waving him over. "What's our time frame for the…er…event?"

"Friday night. Leave at nine, stop at Whataburger, my house by ten. We'll be back before breakfast…. Who's in?"

Ayira, Jessi, Owen, and Freddie raised their hands.

"Come on, mate," Freddie said.

"Alright…. I'm in," Teddy said, grinning. "What about you, Kyo?"

"I can't," he said. "Master Goro checks on us at random times in the night."

"That's not creepy…." Jessi muttered.

"How are we getting there?" Ayira asked.

"Everyone can Apparate except me," Freddie said.

"And Sarah. She's your age, Fred," Tucker told him. "Side-along in shifts. Since no one actually knows where I live except Jessi. Is Laramie coming?" he asked her.

"Nah," Jessi said. "She's got an exam coming up."

"We told her not to take Applied Water Sorcery," Tucker said. "Whatever. I'll talk to you guys later. Have to go write a paper on the Draught of Living Death."

* * *

Friday night came quickly. Teddy pulled on his sneakers and slipped out of bed. He passed Lochland and Damien, and slipped out the door. He met no one until he got to the main floor. There, Freddie stood with James.

"We've got to take him with us," Freddie said.

"Are you kidding? James, what—"

"Please Teddy!" James said. "I was just coming to stay in the dorm." He'd done this a few times already during the term. The apartment complex for the families was right next to the doors, so it was easy for the ten year old to sneak away and go up to the dorms. "Can I please go? I won't tell."

Teddy huffed. "If we get caught, Harry'll kill me."

"We won't get caught—"

"We will if you British twits don't pipe down!" Jessi said, coming out of the adjoining dorm. "What's with the kid?"

"He's coming with us," Teddy explained. "Where's Sarah?"

"Chickened out. That's a Potter, right?"

"I'm James," the youngest one said, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Little J," Jessi said. She shook his hand and nodded to the courtyard. "We have to stay out of the middle. We're meeting Owen by the fountain."

"No one told the Caracas bunch, right?" Freddie whispered.

"You must be joking. We'd all be screwed if we had."

James giggled, but quieted quickly when he saw the rest of the group.

Teddy sensed his shyness. "This is James. I'll explain later," he told Tucker. "But I need to stay with him."

"Fine by me," Tucker said. "Take my arm, James."

In another few minutes, the whole group was in the parking lot of Whataburger, shielded by the shadow of some trees and an ATM. They walked into the restaurant and stood staring at the window.

"Er…Tuck?" Teddy said. "Don't we need American Muggle money?" he whispered.

"I got us covered," Tuck said. He pulled a small blue card out of his pocket. "Order what you want."

It took them a little while to get their orders. The nosey teenager at the counter wanted to know where everyone was from, and why they were there. Interestingly enough, it was James that came to their rescue.

"We're all here for a Student Ambassador's program. It's an exchange program for school."

The teen shrugged and set about taking their orders.

"Way to go, James," Tuck whispered.

"Don't know if it's a good thing that he's such a quick liar," Teddy muttered. Tucker grinned at him.

They got their food pretty quickly, since they were the only ones there. Owen, Teddy, and Jessi had all opted for the chicken strips, while the rest of them had gotten hamburgers.

"Say, Tuck," Teddy said. "What's this white stuff?"

"That's what she said," Tucker and Jessi said in unison.

The rest of them gave the Americans an odd look.

"Nevermind," Tucker said, chuckling. "It's gravy."

"Gravy's brown in England."

"It's good," Tucker said. "Try it."

Teddy and Owen both dunked their chicken strips in the substance. It wasn't half bad.

"Hey, good save up there, James," Jessi said.

"'fanks," he said through a mouthful of burger, blushing.

"Your parents are okay with us using their house?" Ayira asked.

"They don't care what I do," Tucker said. "So long as I don't bother them."

They finished their dinners and threw their trash away. Going outside, Tucker beckoned them to follow. They walked into a wooded area behind the shopping center and bank. "Right," he said. "I'll take James, Teddy and Freddie first. Jessi'll take Ayira and Owen. Let's go."

They Apparated outside of a large Victorian house. Tucker shot a spell at the door and after if glowed green for a moment, he led the way in. "This way mates. Figured we could watch a movie first—give the food time to digest."

The theater room was massive. Teddy hovered over Tucker's shoulder as the boy set up the DVD player. He'd never seen one before—only Granddad Weasley's tapes.

They settled on some kind of action-comedy movie and settled into the large chairs. With a wave of his wand, Tucker turned the lights down and Summoned bags of popcorn.

"Thanks for letting me come along," James whispered to Teddy.

"No worries," Teddy said, smiling.

He nodded off within the first hour of the movie. He woke up to an odd gurgling in his stomach. "Tuck, where's your bathroom?" he asked.

"Use the one upstairs," he said. "Owen's not back yet."

Perspiring slightly, Teddy calmly left the theater…and ran upstairs.

* * *

"Seems like a simple case of food poisoning," Nurse Crawford said. "We'll get them sorted."

"I don't understand," Harry said. "Why only three out of the whole place?"

"Eurgh…" Teddy groaned. "I'm dying…. This has to be death."

"Don't be so dramatic, young man," the nurse said. "You'll be fine in a day."

As Teddy's stomach churned once again, he decided that the next 24 hours would be the longest of his life.


	5. The First Task

**Triwizard Worldwide**

"Fancy a game of Snap?" Freddie asked as he and Teddy walked out of the dining hall. They had a free hour after lunch that was normally used for pickup Quidditch matches or the dueling clubs. Lately, the champions and their friends had taken to staying out of the mix. This was partly to stay away from injury, and partly to stay away from the mad rumors of the first task.

"Sounds great," Teddy said. "Let's stop by the Post Hall first. I have a letter for my Grandmum."

"Is she really not coming?" Freddie asked incredulously.

Teddy shrugged. "She doesn't like coming across the pond. It's fine. She came to the entire last tournament." Teddy knew he sounded less than convincing, but thankfully his best friend let it drop. "Oi, is that Kyo?" he asked.

Indeed it was, and the boy didn't look like he was having a good time. He was surrounded by the boys from Caracas, with Matteo standing just in front of him. They were just close enough to hear Kyo mumble, "I don't want trouble."

"Alright there, Kyo?" Teddy asked, shouldering his way through the circle.

"Yeah. I guess," he said, glancing at Matteo.

"Get out of here, Lupin," Matteo said. "I'm sure there's a reporter somewhere who'd love to tell you how special you are." He smirked as his friends sniggered.

"Actually, I've been looking all over for Kyo," Teddy said evenly. "So if you don't mind—"

"I do mind. We weren't finished talking to our friend here."

"Didn't much look like talking," Teddy told him. "Let's go, Kyo." He led the way out of the bunch and back over to where Fred was standing.

"_WHERE_," Freddie started, "are your mates?"

"Mates?" Kyo asked, confused. He had English down pretty well, but was still a little lost on British slang.

"Friends," Teddy said. He knew where his friend was going with this question. There were at least 15 other boys in from Japan—more than enough to make a fight with the Caracas bunch interesting. So why was Kyo always alone? "Where are the rest of your schoolmates?"

"Around," Kyo told them. "They don't like to stay with me much," he explained as they walked. "My dad is…er…what do you call them in England? Magical Law Enforcement. The other boys in my year like to have their fun. They don't want me around to tell on them."

"Well then," Teddy said, throwing an arm around Kyo's shoulders. "You'll just have to be an honorary Slytherin."

Kyo laughed a bit. "Thanks."

* * *

The next two days flew by. Freddie, James and Kyo kept Teddy company as the Hogwarts champion hid away from the rest of the world. The more they got to know Kyo, the more they liked him—especially Teddy.

The night before the first task, they sat in the hall outside Teddy's room.

"Are you nervous?" Kyo asked.

"Petrified," Teddy answered. "But I keep telling myself that it'll all be over by this time tomorrow. Freddie's down with the judges' assistants now. I think they're going over the procedure or something."

"You'll be fine," Kyo told him. "You know how to…er…I don't know the English expression. But you know how to stay calm."

"Keep my head, yeah. Still…."

Kyo smiled. "Just watch yourself when Matteo's around. You'll be fine."

Teddy was about to respond when he heard a noise on the stairs.

It was Freddie, followed by the rest of the Hogwarts bunch. "A message for you, Master Lupin," Freddie said with a dramatic bow. He grinned and tossed Teddy the slightly lumpy envelope as the rest of their schoolmates (and Kyo) gathered around.

"Good evening, Mr. Lupin," Teddy read aloud. "We want to congratulate you once more on your outstanding performance in the Continental Tournament, and wish you good luck as you embark on the World Cup. Tomorrow's Task will begin at exactly eleven o'clock on the west end of the quarry. Champions must arrive no later than ten forty-five for instructions. You must bring with you a wand, and your cloak. Included in this envelope is a small amount of calming potion. We hope you will have a restful night. See you tomorrow. Yours most sincerely, S.R. Watkins. PSSA." He peeked into the envelope again and pulled out the vial of purple liquid. "Suppose I should get some rest then."

The rest of the group wished him good night, and promised to yell loudest for him the next day.

Once they had all gone, Teddy went back into his room and drank the potion in one go. He felt it working immediately. Quickly, he changed clothes and put his wand and cloak out on his trunk. He slipped into bed and, before he could properly worry about the next day, fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The only way to describe the next morning was this: complete and utter chaos. Teddy, under Harry's watchful eye, had done his best to eat some breakfast. It hadn't been much. Between people congratulating him, wishing him luck, betting on his performance, and (from the Caracas bunch) hoping for some type of grievous injury, he'd only had a couple bites of egg and tomato. It was actually a relief when the clocks chimed ten thirty, and he began to walk toward the other half of the complex.

"What's that smell, Dad?" James asked as they walked.

"Don't know," Harry said, making a face. "I'm sure it's something to do with the Task."

They reached the gate in the rock wall and were ushered to the right by a small wizard in bright green robes.

"Champions and families to the Special Guest box, please," he said.

When they got to the lobby of the box, all of the judges, and Ayira, were already waiting.

"Good morning, Teddy," Watkins said brightly. "If you'll just go stand with your Headmistress, I'll show your family where they are sitting."

"Morning, Headmistress," Teddy said.

"How are you feeling, Teddy?" she asked.

"Petrified. And a little queasy. Was that a bog out there?"

"It was. But we'll explain everything when Matteo gets here."

They didn't have to wait long. Matteo strolled in just a couple of minutes later, looking a bit tired, but otherwise his smug self.

Watkins had the three of them gather in front of the long glass window that looked down on the quarry. "What you see down there, besides rows of your peers who are eagerly waiting to cheer you on, is a swamp. In just a moment, Minister Shaklebolt and I will Apparate down and place these flags," he pointed to three flags on the wall. Each had the crest of a champion's school on it. "Somewhere in the swamp. Your job is to collect your flag. Now, you notice that we, and your schoolmates, can see down into the swamp? That is not the same for you—you will not be able to see or hear us. Once you're down there, you're alone. Just the three of you. Again, this Task is designed to test how well you adapt to certain…situations. Don't think about what you did in your Continental tournaments—this is new. Now, if you'll all step back over here with your Heads of School." He grabbed the three flags and gave one to Kingsley. They Disapparated as Principal Emory explained the Task to the audience. A few minutes later, they had both returned.

"Take my arm," Headmistress Krane told Teddy.

"We're not walking down?" Ayira asked.

"No," Headmistress Ndiaye answered. "We're taking you to the starting point.

Teddy grabbed hold of Krane's arm, and a second later smelled the stench of the bog. When he opened his eyes, it was just him, Ayira, and Matteo. In shimmering purple letters above them, a clue floated. "Don't follow the lights," Teddy read quietly. That was going to be hard—there were lights all around him.

All three of the champions took out their wands and said, "Point me."

They headed off in three different directions. Teddy, after a while, devised a strategy. The lights seemed to come in sets. With the help of an occasional "Point me," he focused on the blank spaces between the lights. He did wish they'd told them to wear Wellies, rather than cloaks. It was still quite warm, even though it was November, but the ground was squishy and wet. His socks were already soaking. He walked on, checking his watch every so often. He'd been in the maze for fifteen minutes now.

Teddy's path led into a thick group of twisted trees. He wondered if they kept the audience from seeing him. He sort of hoped so, seeing as he was stumbling over roots and frequently faceplanting into the stale water. He found a patch of mostly solid ground and walked farther in. Something squeaked beneath his shoe. It was some sort of plant. A plant that was now trying to eat his foot. He shot fiery sparks at it and ran. Other plants, the size of strings and the consistency of boogers, shot out from the ground and grabbed at his ankles. "Ack! _Diffindo_!" He scrambled towards the nearest tree and out of the reach of the plants. His eyes watered as his legs stung. He had to keep moving though.

Something to his left caught his eye. He froze for a moment, then turned his head very slowly. It was…it wasn't a light, exactly. More of a glow. Teddy walked towards it slowly. Perhaps it was his flag. With every step, he became more certain, and, interestingly, more tired. He yawned and took out his wand, ready to summon the flag as soon as it came into view. He thought he heard a noise like a shout on the edge of his hearing—it must have been Ayira.

The next thing he knew, he was submerged. Swamp water surrounded him. Weeds whipped at his face as he tried to swim toward the surface. It was like swimming through jello, however, and his cloak weighed him down.

Suddenly, there was a hand on his arm. He took deep breaths of air as he was pulled back onto the land. "A—Ayira?"

"I was thinking about it," she said, helping his stand. "This task is about adaptation, right?"

"Yeah," Teddy panted, drying himself off.

"And in all of the other tasks, our objectives were the same, and located in the same place, yeah?"

"Right."

"This task," she said, "Isn't something we're supposed to get through alone. They wanted us to work with each other."

"Then why put the flags in all different directions."

"The flags aren't in all different directions," she explained. "There are just three different paths you can use to get to them. Our wands pointed us based on where we were standing. Come on; let's get out of these trees."

They walked back up the bank (Teddy hadn't even noticed that he was going downhill) and found a path again. It was slow going, as Teddy's legs were beginning to throb quite painfully. After a few minutes, Teddy stopped. "What about Matteo?" he asked.

"Er…I tried. He's convinced that this is a last man standing thing."

"What's your Patronus?"

"A falcon. Why?"

Teddy pointed his wand at the ground and flicked his wrist twice. A glittering green wolf and blue falcon stood up from a small indention in the wet ground. "We'll leave sign posts for him. Just in case he comes this way."

Fifteen minutes and five signs later, they made it to another clump of trees. This time, they could see the flags hanging over the branches.

"Should we wait for him?" Ayira asked, looking behind them.

"Let's go get our flags. We can look for him on the way back."

As soon as they pulled their flags from the branches, however, they felt a tug behind their belly buttons. A second later, they could hear cheers and screams from the students and teachers. Teddy looked around. They were at the front of the arena, directly below the Special Guest box. He waved at Harry and James.

"Good show you two! I see Matteo was our lone wolf," Watkins commented. "Just go over to the shower station, then you can go see your score."

The two raced over to the shower stalls, ran through the water, and reluctantly let the nurses look them over.

"You both seem to be alright," Nurse Crawford said. "Good to see nothing poisonous got you. Oh! Spoke too soon. Let's see your legs, Mr. Lupin."

Teddy swung his legs up onto the bench and rolled his pants up. He gasped as the air hit his swollen shins. He was varying shades of purple, and it looked like he'd rolled around in a box of forks. "Ow!" he yelped as she began putting ointment on him.

"Calm down," she said gently. "They'll feel better in a moment. You'll have to use crutches for the rest of the week, I'm afraid, but at least the pain will go away soon."

After she'd wrapped his legs and set him up with a pair of crutches, he hobbled out to where Ayira had just received her score. "A 64," Teddy said, grinning. "Not bad."

"They all gave me 8s," she explained. "Probably because I fell in the water a couple times."

"Can't wait to see what mine is then," Teddy said, looking up at the judges.

Watkins was first—an 8. Then Kingsley shot an 8 into the air as well. Krane was apparently a tougher judge. She gave him a 7.

"Probably because I got hurt," Teddy told Ayira.

Principal Emory and Principal Garwin both gave him 9s, though.

"What are they playing at?" he asked.

"I may have figured it out," Ayira said. "But it was your choice to go along with it—to adapt."

Headmistress Ndiaye and Master Goro also gave him 7s. And finally, Faustus Navarro gave him…

"A three?" Ayira asked as Matteo finally appeared. "Is he joking?"

"Still," Teddy said, trying to keep his indignation to himself, "A 58 isn't that bad."

They waited impatiently as Matteo was patched up. He'd apparently run into quite a few of the poisonous plants. His left leg was bloody, and his face was swollen. It also looked as though he had a nasty burn on his arm. Finally, he came out of the nurse's tent, looking a good deal less pleased with himself than an hour and a half ago. Most of the judges gave him 6s. Kingsley gave him a seven after a bit of thought, and Faustus (predictably) gave him a 9.

"May as well have given him the 10," Teddy muttered. "Whatever. Looks like you're in first place!" he said, giving Ayira a hug. "Thanks for saving my arse."

She laughed. "Any time. You should go see your godfather. It looks like he's about to come flying out of that chair at any moment."

"Cheers!" Teddy said as he hobbled away.

**_LbN: Hope you liked the chapter! Reviews would be lovely! :)_**


	6. The Yule Ball

_**LbN: Nothing like a deadline to get the Muse back to work. :) Happy reading, everyone!**_

Fan mail was a typical occurrence for all of the champions, but for the ones competing in the World Cup, it was starting to get out of control. The first Friday in December found Teddy, Freddie, James, Kyosuke, Lochland, Tucker, Dylan and Paris sorting through the absolute mountain of fan mail for Teddy.

"New rule," Tucker said. He was always making rules. "We _do__ not_ leave this stuff until Friday. This is ridiculous."

"I'm with you, mate," Lochland said. "It's also terrifying. Listen to this: Dear Teddy, I've followed you since you won the Triwizard Cup here in England. I know this seems strange, but I've come to love you. When you've won the tournament, I know we'll be together. Love from Scotland, Eilis."

"Merlin," Dylan said.

"Put it in that pile," James said, nodding at the growing pile of love notes.

"Er…this one too," Kyo said, blushing furiously.

"What's it say?" Tucker asked.

"Er... you can read it if you want."

"Another box," Paris said, tossing it over to the blue haired boy. "You have a date to the Yule Ball yet?" he asked.

"Er…no," Teddy said, blushing. "But I know who I want to ask."

"Who?" James asked, opening one of the boxes. It was a scrapbook.

"Don't worry about it."

"I'm asking Jessie a little later," Freddie said.

"When? This I have to see," Tucker said, grinning.

"Lunch time. Out in the courtyard."

"Flashy?"

"Only way I operate."

"Good. Jessie likes a good spectacle now and then."

"Right guys," Teddy said. "Lochland and I have lessons. Let's…shove all this junk under my bed or something."

* * *

"Concentrate!" Exley said.

Teddy flinched as his tail disappeared. It seemed like it was getting harder to keep his wolf form. "Ouch," he mumbled, slumping against the wall.

Exley kneeled next to him, knees creaking. "Son, this isn't working out."

"Yes it is!" Teddy insisted, struggling to stand. He was too tired.

"You're forcing yourself into this form," Exley explained. "Animagi don't work like that. You take the form that your personality represents. I told you that in our first lessons. You need to try to be—"

"No. I want the wolf form," Teddy said.

Exley sighed. "Think about it. And practice the other form as well. We'll talk next week. Lochland! Change back and you can go."

* * *

Teddy carried James piggyback style to lunch, laughing as the boy described some of the kooky stuff he'd seen in the fan mail. He finally set him down next to the gigantic Christmas tree in the courtyard. "Listen, I'm glad you're helping me sort through all of this, but no more opening boxes unless I'm there. Or your dad. The crazy is starting to come in more often, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Sure, Teddy."

Professor Krane walked around the tree at that moment. "Hello boys!" she said cheerfully. "I do believe Master Weasley is about to give a bit of a show by the fountain. Teddy, will you make sure he doesn't set fire to anything? They may not be as understanding here…."

"Of course, Professor," Teddy said with a grin. He put an arm around James's shoulders and they walked across the courtyard to the fountain.

Freddie was there with Tucker. He nodded at them as they approached. The doors to the cafeteria opened and he waved his wand. The jets of water coming from the top of the fountain turned to frost. The frost began to spell out words. With another wave of his wand, red and green mist settled on the words: Jessie, will you go to the Yule Ball with me? He walked over to her, smiling, and nodded to the display.

"Sure," Jessie said.

The assembled crowd broke into applause. Teddy gave Freddie a thumbs up and looked through the crowd. Time was running out, and he still hadn't gotten up the nerve to ask the person he wanted to go with. Enough…he would ask tonight after study hour.

* * *

Christmas Eve rolled around. The grounds were covered in enchanted ice and snow. Teddy straightened his dress robes as he waited for his date. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey," he said, smiling. "You look nice."

"Thanks," Kyosuke said. "Are you—"

"I'm sure. No one's going to care. I even checked with my headmistress and Master Goro."

Kyo smiled and offered Teddy his arm. "Shall we go then?"

Teddy nodded, took his arm, and they walked down into the building's common area.

Freddie and Jessie were waiting on them. "Told you," Freddie said.

"Wow, Lupin," Jessie said with a grin. "Didn't know the pair of you swung that way. Cool."

They laughed and made their way into the dining hall. In all honesty, Teddy was terrified. He knew his friends would be cool about it, but he also knew that the Caracas bunch would probably give him hell. As he and Kyo took their seats at the head table, he saw Matteo's date nudge him. Teddy turned away as they gave him a look of pure disgust.

"This will be an interesting night," Kyo commented, but he was smiling.

* * *

Indeed it was. Dinner went well enough. Teddy and Kyo talked to Ayira and Sam, an American student, for most of it. Everything started to unravel, however, after the first dance. As people filled the floor and the band struck up a slower tune, Teddy felt someone nudge him. It was Matteo.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding it at all.

"Look," Teddy said in a low voice. "I just want to enjoy the night. Leave us alone."

"It was an accident. Don't be so…er… _sensible_."

Teddy glared at him, but turned back to Kyo. "No big deal."

About halfway through the night, as the Americans were teaching them a dance called the Wobble, it was a big deal. Teddy was beginning to feel a bit like a test mannequin from all the pushing. No matter where he and Kyo moved on the floor, Matteo or one of his mates was always there to give them a shove. Finally, as he was nearly tossed to the floor, he snapped. Spinning around, he growled, "What is your damage, mate?"

Matteo didn't try to play it off this time. He said something in Spanish that Teddy was pretty sure would've gotten him detention, had the teachers heard.

Out of nowhere, James, who had come as Lamarie's "date", appeared. He stood in front of Teddy. "Leave them alone. Get a life."

Matteo raise his hand as if to shove James out of the way.

Teddy drew his wand. "I dare you to touch him."

"Boys!"

Teddy lowered his wand and put an arm around James as Headmistress Krane walked towards them.

"What's the trouble here?" she asked sternly.

Teddy glowered at Matteo, but said, "Nothing. Kyo and I were just about to take a walk."

"A good idea, I think," she said pointedly.

"I'll go with you," James said.

"No, J. Stay and have fun." Teddy walked him over to where Laramie was getting punch. "See you lot later."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Jessie and Tucker called.

Teddy blushed so hard his hair turned red.

Kyo laughed and took his hand. "So then we can do whatever we want?" he asked their friends.

The two Americans conceded this point with a nod.

With another laugh, Kyo led Teddy out to the courtyard. "Where should we go?"

"The arena?"

They walked across the complex, having their first proper conversation. When they reached the arena, they settled in the bleachers and Kyo conjured a blanket.

"Tell me about your family," Teddy said.

"I have five younger sisters and one older brother. My mother is…I think you call them Healers in England."

"Yeah."

"My dad's head law enforcement for our district. Nothing really special, I guess. My father and brother are coming for the second task."

"Really?"

"Yes. I…eh…told them about you. They want to meet you."

"Should I be worried?" Teddy asked with a smile.

"Not unless you've broken any international wizarding laws lately."

"Not that I can remember."

"What about your family? Is your grandmother coming to this task?"

"I don't know," Teddy said, shrugging. "She's not one for travel. James and Harry are here though."

"Do you spend a lot of time with them?"

"Loads. He has two younger kids as well. I look after them sometimes when he's working and Ginny's out of town with the team. Wasn't any of this in the book?" he asked, smirking.

Kyo laughed. "The book was mostly Skeeter going on about your parents, really."

"Hmmm…." Teddy hummed. He really didn't want to talk about his parents on his first date with Kyo, so he changed the subject. "What do you think they'll make us do for the second task?"

"Daijiro keeps talking about a cave or something… but I don't know."

The chimes in the clock tower tolled. It was eleven.

"Curfew," Kyo muttered.

Teddy stood up and offered Kyo a hand. They walked back to the dorms, stopping outside of Teddy's door.

"Goodnight," Teddy said, blushing again. He didn't know what to do. Do you normally kiss someone goodnight on the first date?

Kyo solved the dilemma for him. The Japanese boy gave him a peck on the cheek and said, "Night." With a smile, he walked down the hall to the stairs.

Grinning, Teddy tapped the door with his wand and entered the 7th years' room. Hair bright pink, he got ready for bed.


	7. An Offer

**Triwizard Worldwide**

When Teddy rolled out of bed on Boxing Day, he nearly stepped on James. As they were on holiday and there was no work to be distracted from, the younger boy had been allowed to stay in the dorms with Teddy. It had been fun. The Hogwarts group had congregated in one of the classrooms with the Kyoto boys to open presents and give Teddy a hard time about all of the psycho fan gifts he'd received.

There was one present in particular that Teddy was after this morning. He'd gotten no less than 30 copies of it, so it wouldn't be hard to find. He grabbed a copy of his biography and hopped back into bed, drawing the curtains. Ever since his less than stellar Animagus lesson before break, he'd been reading bits and pieces of it in the mornings before his friends woke up. It wasn't the best source of information, but as Harry had only known them for a little while, and he couldn't talk to his grandmother about his parents, he'd try this. He stuck to the passages that were backed by some sort of evidence—Ministry reports and such—and left Skeeter's frequent flights of unflattering commentary alone. He laughed quietly as the section on his life began. It was weird reading about himself. Most of it was either skewed or downright wrong. That was enough—if she couldn't get 17 years worth of information right, then he doubted she had the bits about his parents right either. He tossed the book back into the pile and closed his eyes again. He still wanted the wolf form—something that would make him feel close to his dad—but if he really thought about it…. He knew Professor Exely was right. From his first lesson, it had been clear what his real form was. He'd known all along, and now he'd work harder.

* * *

"Champions have to meet in the conference room," Freddie said through a mouthful of raspberry doughnut.

"Thanks, mate." Teddy grabbed some bacon, a doughnut, and a glass of orange juice and made his way over to the side room. Ayira and Matteo were already there with the judges.

"Happy…um…what is it?" Watkins asked Krane.

"Boxing Day," she said.

"Right. Happy Boxing Day, everyone! Now, school starts up on Monday, so we thought we'd go ahead and give you the information about the second Task."

At this, all of the champions stopped eating. The second Task had seemed so far off two days ago….

"Again, we won't be telling you what you'll be doing. However, in addition to your wands this time, you'll be allowed a broom. Ecko Broom Designers is donating three broomsticks from their Legacy line. This Task is designed to test your resourcefulness—another reason we aren't giving anything away. Now, if there are no questions, you may rejoin your friends."

The three of them nodded, grabbed their plates and walked back out into the dining hall.

* * *

The San Antonio Botanical Gardens were gorgeous, but Teddy didn't know why the judges thought the students wanted to look at flowers all day. He'd wandered off from the group and found himself in some kind of pyramid-greenhouse thing. Just as well. He hardly ever got to be alone. It was nice to have a moment to himself just to thi—

"Teddy! Teddy Lupin!"

Teddy sighed. A reporter. "Hi," he said. "Er…I was just off to catch up with—"

"Oh, this won't be but a second. Could you tell me how the Tournament is going?"

"Fine. I'm excited for the next Task," he said, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster. Harry'd given him a long lecture on being supremely careful in interviews, and avoiding them if at all possible.

"Know what they're putting you through next?" the man asked, obviously keen on getting that bit of information first.

"No, unfortunately," Teddy said. "They said it's something to test our resourcefulness."

"Hmmm…interesting. And what about outside the tournament? Sources say you've struck up a relationship with one of the students from Japan?"

"I…er…" Teddy chuckled nervously.

"Teddy!"

Teddy turned to see James, Freddie and Kyo walking down the ramp toward him.

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" Freddie said.

"Er…I have to go," he told the reporter. Without waiting for the man to respond, he followed his friends out of the greenhouse.

"Who was that?" Kyo asked.

"A reporter. He..er…he asked about us."

"What did you tell him?" Kyo asked. He didn't sound nervous at all, just curious.

"Nothing. You guys came along before I could answer."

"I don't mind," Kyo said. "I mean…if you want to tell them…you don't have to worry about me. I mean, not that you have to. You might not want to say anything."

"Don't worry, I know what you mean," Teddy said, smiling. "And maybe I should say something. It might cut down on all the fan mail I get."

"Or," Freddie said as they walked past the rose garden, "They might start sending you hexed gifts out of jealousy. Let's wait until you've made it through the tournament _alive_ before you go public."

Teddy laughed. Freddie _had_ always been the pragmatic one…. "Cheers, mate."

They were about to join the group in the desert exhibit, when another reporter jumped out at them. "Teddy Lupin!"

It took all of Teddy's resolve not to heave a dramatic sigh. "Yes?"

"Wonder could I have a word with you? In private, perhaps?"

"Go on, guys," Teddy said.

"Let's go find Harry," Kyo told James and Freddie pointedly.

"Good man," the reporter said, oblivious. "Now, Teddy, to business. You dominated the European tournament—"

"I don't know about 'dominated'…" Teddy mumbled.

"And now it looks like you're set to do the same in the world tournament. Any thoughts on speculation that you'll take the Cup?"

"Er…that's not a Quick Quotes Quill, is it?"

The reporter laughed. "No, son. Writing notes down myself."

"Okay then…I guess all I have to say is…well, I'll do my best. Matteo and Ayira are both really good and really powerful. I'll just…play to my strengths."

"Indeed…" the reporter said. He put his notepad away, and Teddy hoped he was finished. Not so, apparently. The man put a hand on Teddy's shoulder and steered him a few steps away from the exhibit entrance.

Teddy knew something dodgy was coming. He could see Harry shouldering his way through the students and professors to get to him. He kept his hand clenched around his wand in his pocket. "Yes?"

"Listen, son…. Off the record, there's a lot of money going into the business of…er…speculation, if we want to keep the word alive."

"You mean gambling."

The man chuckled. "You could call it that. Now…you're a good competitor. It's easy to see. Most people are putting their money on you. Now if you were to win…." He made what Jessie would describe as "duck face" and shrugged his shoulders. "That would be fantastic. And you'd deserve it! Make no mistake…. But, if you were to lose. Well…. It wouldn't be the end of the world, would it?"

Teddy quirked an eyebrow at the man. He knew where this was going…. "I reckon not. Not as long as I knew I'd fought as best I could."

The man cleared his throat and looked over to the glass doors. Harry was marching over to them. "Exactly…and it would be good for business. All these people trying to make a quick penny off of you…. It's not really fair. Better the tournament ends without them exploiting you, right?"

"I don't like being used," Teddy said, in a way that conceded and threatened all at the same time.

"Exactly! So… maybe all the fighting…all that competitive edge… maybe you tone that down a little. Don't take it so seriously. And…you'd still get the prize money. I'd make sure of that."

"Teddy? Everything alright?" Harry said, jogging up. James was at his heals.

"Yeah. He was just…letting me know about the piece he's writing. It's on the champions." He nearly gagged when the man winked at him. He obviously thought he'd sold Teddy on the idea. "But I should get back to my friends," Teddy told the reporter.

"Of course. Nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin."

"What did he really want?" Harry asked quietly as they walked back to the group.

"He wanted me to throw the competition."

Harry sighed. "I figured something like this would happen. People are getting worried about how well you're doing." He said this with a smile, obviously proud of the fact that Teddy was so amazing that he was getting bribe offers. "Don't worry about it. Go back with your friends."

"Cheers, Harry."


	8. The Second Task

**Triwizard Worldwide**

There were only two things that let Teddy know that January had, in fact, happened, and that time had not skipped forward to February straight after New Years. The first was the N.E.W.T preparation packets that came along on top of their other homework. The second was the progress he was making in his lessons with Exley. Other than that, January was a mere memory sooner than the metamorphmagus could have expected. With all of the work he was doing, he'd almost forgotten about the second Task. Almost. However, as February eighth rolled around, his feelings of paranoia returned. His friends started escorting him to classes again; protecting him from any sabotage. He also started hiding away with Kyo during free times. Freddie was helping the judges and hanging out with Jessie, and Harry had been keeping James with him for about a week. Thus, he and Kyo had had a lot of quality alone time (for which Teddy was very thankful).

The night before the second Task, there was a knock on the seventh year boys' door. Teddy answered, and was surprised to see Harry. "Hi! What's wrong?" he asked, noticing his godfather's preoccupied face.

Harry smiled then. "Nothing," he said. "I have a surprise for you. Come on."

"It's curfew," Teddy said, following Harry out into the hallway anyway.

"I got permission from Krane. We're just going down to the lobby for a moment."

"Why?"

"You'll see," Harry said, smiling.

They made their way down the stairs, finally entering the lobby. "Grandmum!" Teddy shouted, running over to her.

Andromeda laughed as he hugged her. "Quiet, boy. You'll wake the dead."

"When did you get here?"

"Two minutes ago. I wanted to see you compete. Now, you get some rest, and I'll catch up with you after the Task tomorrow."

"Okay," he said, grinning. He looked over at Harry, but his godfather had a worried look on his face and wasn't paying attention. "Harry? Is everything alright?"

Harry snapped out of his reverie at this. "Sorry Teddy…. I just get worried before these things. Don't mind me. You'll be brilliant tomorrow—I know it."

Teddy gave him a hug. "I'll be careful. I promise." He studied his godfather for a second longer. Something had flashed across the man's face, but he couldn't tell what Harry was thinking. "See you in the morning."

"Right," Harry said, smiling once again. "Go get some rest."

* * *

Teddy was really panicking now. It was a good thing Kyo was there, or he really would've lost it.

"Calm yourself," his boyfriend (they'd made it official the week before) said. "I'm sure he's just running late."

"Harry Potter does not run late," Teddy said grimly. He craned over the heads of the students in the cafeteria and spotted his grandmother walking toward them.

"Good morning, Teddy. And you must be Kyosuke?"

"Yes," he said, nodding. "It's nice to meet you."

"And you. Teddy's told me so much about you; it's nice to finally see you in person. Now, Teddy, I'm sure you're wondering where your godfather is…."

"Have you seen him?"

"No. But he told me last night that he might have to meet us down at the arena. Not to worry, my dear. Kyosuke, darling, has my grandson eaten any breakfast?"

"Despite my best efforts to convince him, no."

"Ted Remus, please don't force me to force feed you."

Teddy knew his grandmother well enough to know that this was no idle threat. While Harry doted on him in general and Ginny made sure he was always on the ball with his studies, Andromeda took the biscuit for worrying over his health. He wasn't hungry, but he knew he wasn't leaving the table without eating a full balanced meal.

Grandmothers….

* * *

The champions were instructed to wait in a tent just outside of the arena until everyone was seated. Finally, Watkins and Krane came into the tent. "Gather round, champions!" he said excitedly. "Now, you all have your wands and your broomsticks? Yes? Great. Now, you'll see when you step into the arena, that it has been transformed into…er…four different sections. There are potions ingredients that you'll have to collect. These are the lists," he told them as Krane handed them each a sheet of parchment. "As you can see, it's a map of the arena. What you'll need to do is touch your wand to the section of the map that you want to explore, and it will show you pictures of the items you'll need. You won't be able to proceed to the next area until you've collected everything where you're searching."

"What do we do with the things we've collected?" Matteo asked.

"There are bags connected to your broomsticks. Once you put something in there, it'll be transferred back to your potions kit at the front of the arena. Now, all of this has to be done within two hours. There is, of course, incentive to make it back on time. Follow me."

They walked out into the sunlit arena. Teddy had to shield his eyes for a moment, as the sun was reflecting off of three large glass boxes. He squinted at them. Something wasn't right….

Ayira had run over already. Her horrified gasp made the other two follow.

When Teddy saw what, or rather, who, was in the glass case, he felt his hair go bright red with fury.

Inside the case, was James Potter. He was lying perfectly still, with his arms at his sides and his eyes closed. He looked pale, but otherwise unhurt.

Harry's behavior the night before made sense now. He'd know that they were going to use James for the Task. Teddy closed his eyes and counted to ten, knowing that it wouldn't do to start hexing everybody in sight. The cold hard logic that, according to Harry, he'd inherited from his father took hold. James would be fine. No matter what, they wouldn't let anything happen to him. So it had to just be a spell. He recognized the other two people in cases as Ayira's younger cousin and Matteo's girlfriend.

"Calm down, you lot," Krane said gently, though she looked thoroughly amused at their reactions. "They're simply… asleep. Again, you have one hour to collect the ingredients and brew the antidote. You may do the Task in whichever order you like. You may begin…now."

Ayira and Matteo both shot into the sky in opposite directions, but Teddy stayed. He was thinking hard. He could hear shouts from the stands—it was obvious that everyone thought he'd frozen. His mind was racing. There were no simple potions, he figured, so that meant that if the Task could indeed be done in an hour, that some of the ingredients must have been collected for them already. He walked over to his table, which was situated at the end of James's coff—case. He shuddered, but opened his potions box. Sure enough, each in its own section, there were about ten ingredients in there already. He counted the empty spaces and took note of what was there.

A slow smile spread across his face. "We're making Wiggenweld Potion," he muttered to himself. Grabbing his broom, he tapped the lake area of his map, and shot into the sky.

* * *

Teddy didn't know how much time had passed, but he knew he'd have to make the last two ingredients quick finds. He landed his broom outside of a heavily wooded section of the arena. He'd saved this part until last, because he knew these would be the hardest to get. Tapping his map, he confirmed that he needed Wiggentree bark, and Billywig stings—which meant that he'd have to face some pissed off Billywigs without getting stung himself. Fun.

He walked around the edge of the trees for a bit, trying to see the best way to fly through. He'd passed Matteo and, after dodging the hex the boy had thrown at him, had noticed that he was severely scratched. Ayira hadn't looked too much better. There wasn't anything to do about it, it seemed….

Or was there?

Teddy put his broom and wand down, and opened the potion bag—he'd need it to stay open if he went through with this plan. He couldn't waste too much time trying to make this work, but he'd managed it the day before. He could do it again. He had to do it again.

Yes! He flew in a circle, giving out a screech of happiness. He'd turned into a hawk without the use of his wand. It had, as Professor Exley had said all along, come easier than the wolf form he'd longed for. Leaving his wand (he'd need both talons for collecting ingredients) he flew into the forest. He dodged the vines and trees and thorns with ease, absolutely reveling in his new small form. He knew he never would've been able to spot the Billywigs in his human form—they were too fast—but as a bird he was able to locate them easily. He swooped through a cloud of them, catching at least four in one talon. With another screech, which he immediately remembered was probably a bad idea in a Triwizard forrest, he shot toward the ground. Flying low, he finally spotted some Bowtruckles. He grabbed a sample of bark from the tree they had run to, and took off in the opposite direction.

When he returned to his broom and wand, he was happy to see that the wind hadn't closed the sack. He dropped his ingredients into it, and after watching them disappear, concentrated on becoming Teddy again. It took a moment, but finally he felt like a 17 year old boy. He gave a slightly hysterical chuckle as he felt various appendages to make sure they weren't damaged. Feeling completely intact, and worried about the time, he mounted his broom and raced for the front of the arena.

* * *

He was the first one back. He didn't know how that was possible, but he didn't stop to wonder either. The clock over the judges box said he had 25 minutes. There was no way in hell, he could do this in that amount of time, but he threw open the potions book that had been set out, and got to work anyway.

Time ticked by. He vaguely registered Matteo and Ayira landing at their tables, but he didn't know how long they'd been. He didn't know what time it was—he just kept working. No one stopped them, so they must have meant for them to keep going. Finally, he picked up the sprig of mint. If he'd done everything right, the potion would turn pink the moment he dropped the small leaf in.

It did.

Teddy nearly sobbed with relief. He shot a silent unlocking spell at the glass coffin and used the dropper to collect some of the potion. He noted how incredibly weird it was to have to open James's mouth, and hoped, as he administered the potion, that he never had to do anything like this again. He waited. Nothing happened for a minute, and then he noticed the color returning to the younger boy's cheeks. For a moment, he thought maybe James needed more of the potion, but then the boy's eyes fluttered open.

"Eurgh, why's it so bright?" he asked. "Teddy? What's up? Why are you crying?"

Teddy didn't answer as he helped James out of the case and held him in a hug.

* * *

Nurse Crawford was beyond pissed at the "severe emotional distress" they'd put him through, and insisted that he spend the rest of the afternoon in Harry's apartment. Harry and Andromeda were there as well, and Kyo and his family stopped by to say hi after the Task was over.

Still, Teddy was rather subdued as they made their way to dinner.

Harry held him back as Andromeda and James went inside. "We'll catch up," he told them. "You alright, Teddy?"

"Fine…. It was just weird today, seeing him like that."

"I know. I wasn't too keen on it, but they didn't think they'd get that strong of a reaction if they'd used Kyo or Freddie."

"They're probably right. I mean, I would've done the same thing, but James…. I just kept picturing getting the potion wrong and poisoning him, or…."

Harry nodded. "I know. But you didn't. And you got the highest marks of the day," he said proudly. "First place now."

Teddy smiled and nodded.

"Come on," Harry said, patting him on the back. "No need to think about the tournament anymore tonight."


	9. Doubts

**Triwizard Worldwide**

Teddy got up early three days later and went up to the roof to practice—and to think. If he was completely honest with himself, he was still shaken up over the Task. He'd never been worried about what would come next, having adopted a "what will come, will come, and I'll meet it when it does" attitude. That had served him pretty well in the Continental tournaments. Now, after the second Task, he couldn't help worrying about the third. He soared over the compound, resisting the temptation to let out a screech of frustration.

* * *

_Teddy fidgeted in his seat in between Matteo and Ayira. This interview had gone on forever. He held back a sigh of relief when Watkins called for the last question. One of the official Triwizard interviewers raised her hand. _

"_Yes, Matteo, how do you feel this Task—this tournament—differs from the Continental ones?"_

"_It's…become a mind game now," Matteo said seriously. "Before, you got what you needed, did what you needed to do, and got through the Task. Now…." He trailed off, shrugging._

_As much as he hated to agree with anything Matteo had to say, Teddy found himself nodding. "Now you have to have your head in the game a lot more. You can't get by just knowing what to do. The stakes are higher," he said, finishing Matteo's answer. For once, the older boy didn't glare at him. _

* * *

The stakes were higher. And it terrified Teddy. If they'd used his family against him this time, what was next? He couldn't stomach thinking about it. The rational part of him knew that the judges wouldn't have let anything bad happen to James, but there were also a hundred or so doubting voices swirling around his head, telling him that "accidents happen."

Worst of all was the fact that he didn't know who to talk to about any of this. He trusted Harry, and Kyo, but they would both panic, and Harry at least would probably think he needed to quit. As if that were even an option…. He flew back to the top of the dorms and changed back. He would keep his mouth shut, he thought. The last thing he needed was the paper picking up his nervousness. Not after the last news article….

* * *

_The __great __thing __about __James __was __that __he __never __needed __words. __He __knew__ to__ stay __close __to __Teddy, __even __though __the __metamorphmagus __hadn__'__t __asked __him __to. __They __walked __down __to __breakfast __together, __with__ Harry__ following __behind__ them._

_Immediately, when they made it to the cafeteria, Teddy knew something was up. Every head turned in his direction. His friends were shoving something out of sight under the table, and the Caracas kids were laughing and pointing. He took his hand from James's shoulder and walked over to the table. "Jessie, what is it?" He'd learned quickly that when he didn't want to fight for information, it was best to ask Jessie. She was dead awful at keeping secrets. _

"_Uh…" she stammered, looking at Freddie, and then at Kyo._

"_Teddy," Kyo said. "Let's go for a walk. I'll tell you outside." He took the rolled up newspaper from Tucker and waited for Teddy to grab a doughnut. As they walked outside, there was a lot of whispering, and some catcalls._

"_What happened?" Teddy asked wearily. "What's in the paper?"_

"_That reporter…the one who offered you money to throw the competition?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Er…he's a bit… upset that you didn't." With that, Kyo handed Teddy the newspaper._

"_Less Than a Boy—Just a Spoiled Brat?" he read. The article went on to paint him as a conceited, manipulative, shallow asshole. He was surprised they hadn't put devil horns on his picture. He took a deep breath and folded the paper back up. "Well… I guess I don't have to worry about boatloads of fan mail now…."_

* * *

Tucker had remedied the fallout quite magnificently. He'd somehow gotten a hold of all the rival papers and magazines, and had the rest of the champions (minus Matteo, of course) give the real scoop on Teddy. Teddy had laughed hysterically when the article came out the day before. Apparently, they'd spent the entire interview telling the reporters that Teddy was smart, nice, sex-on-a-stick, and an all around awesome guy. It was the single most ridiculous thing he'd ever read, and he loved all of them for it. As he made it back to his floor, he saw Watkins coming up the other set of stairs. "Morning, sir," he said.

"Teddy, I was just coming to get you. We're meeting in the lobby for a moment, if you'd come with me."

The other two were sitting in cushy chairs when Teddy got there. He took a seat next to Ayira and looked up at the judges.

"We just wanted to check on the lot of you," Minister Shaklebolt said. "We realize that last Task…tried you."

The three champions were silent for a long moment. Then, Ayira spoke up.

"Will…will anyone else be a part of the next Task?" she asked.

Teddy looked over at her and Matteo. They looked just as he felt.

"We won't," Watkins assured them. "This was the only Task where we needed outside help. We realize it may have…put more stress on you than anyone anticipated. This, on top of the fact that you've been competing in a high stress tournament for the better part of two years, is why we've brought in someone for you to talk to. We've talked to your parents and guardians, and they've all given consent for you to talk to Professor Zabini if there's anything on your mind. You don't have to, but he's here if you need him. His office is at the end of the hall of Hogwarts' classrooms."

They all nodded at the adults.

"Very well," Navarro said. "You may go back to your dorms now."

* * *

"Will you come back for the third Task?" Teddy asked as he walked Andromeda to the Apparation point.

"Yes, I'll be here that entire week. You've done so well," she added fondly. "Please remember to talk to Professor Zabini if you're going round the twist."

Teddy laughed. "I will. Promise."

She kissed him on the forehead, and smiled brightly as his hair went pink. "Keep up with your grades, or Ginny will have your head and Harry's." With that, she disappeared.

Teddy smiled, shook his head, and made his way back to the dorm.


	10. The End of the Year

**Triwizard Worldwide**

The months press on. The lucky thing was that since N.E.W.T levels were coming up, Teddy almost forgot that the third Task was on the way. With all the work he had to do, it was nearly impossible to worry. Nearly. It was still in the back of his mind, but he was able to avoid panic.

June first came along and Teddy found himself with a glorious headache, brought on by a fellow student's mishap in their Potions N.E.W.T. He stumbled into the nurse's office, hoping she wasn't in a ranting mood today. He wasn't in luck.

"Yes, yes," she said, sitting him on one of the stiff chairs. "Headache potion and you'll be fine. You're not the first who's needed them. Probably not a Potion's headache so much as a stress headache. Damn Triwizard Tournament on top of exams. Can't believe you three haven't been in more. Have you been to see Professor Zabini?"

"Er…no…" Teddy answered. He wished she'd hurry with the potion. His head felt like his brain was trying to escape through his ears.

"Hmmmm… Well, I told the other two and I'll tell you as well. Your physical health is important," she said, handing him a paper cup full of pink liquid. "But your mental health is too. Perhaps more so. Before the next Task, you need to go talk to Professor Zabini. Since you're a Londoner, you might want to think about seeing him after the tournament too."

Teddy downed the potion and nodded. "Maybe you're right," he mumbled.

"I am right." She smiled and offered him a lollipop. "Talk to your godfather about it. Good luck on the next Task."

* * *

It was three days later, one day before the final Task, before Teddy took her advice. He waited until the break after lunch to go. There were done with classes now, but the professors had them doing extra sessions to keep them out of trouble. The older students were going to lectures for career advice, while the younger ones did extra classes. Teddy managed to sneak away without any of his friends noticing. He made his way to the end of the hall and raised his hand to knock on Zabini's door. He paused, hearing another voice. Matteo was in there already. He backed up, ready to walk away, but thought better of it. If he left now, he wouldn't come back. He leaned against the wall and waited.

About ten minutes later, Matteo strode out of the room. He stopped just in front of the doorway and stared at Teddy.

Teddy tightened his grip on his wand, just in case. "Are you done?"

"_Claro_," Matteo answered, nodding. He stared at him for a moment. "You having nightmares or something?"

"Or something. Stressed according to Nurse C. Your mates aren't helping there…." As the Task grew closer, Matteo's classmates had started trying to hex him again.

"I'll call them off."

Teddy's brow furrowed. "Why?"

Matteo snickered. "Lupin, I followed you during the Continentals, seemed like everyone did. When I got here, I thought you were just a stupid spoiled brat. Never thought you'd be this type of competitor. But here we are. I still hate you. I still think you're spoiled, _mimado_. Still, you're nothing to me sitting out with a broken leg. I need to beat you."

Teddy smiled. "You need to _try_ to beat me."

"Mr. Lupin?" Professor Zabini called. "You may come in. Off you go, Matteo."

Matteo started off down the hall, and Teddy walked towards the small classroom. Just before he entered, he deflected a curse Matteo threw at him. "See you tomorrow."

* * *

Why was he awake? Tonight was _not_the night for insomnia! Teddy almost sat up, but hesitated. He'd heard a noise—liked something heavy being kicked. He stayed still. It couldn't be James—he wasn't allowed to stay in the dorms before a Task. He could hear the other two boys snoring. Who was it? He gripped his wand and sat up, silently casting a binding charm. He didn't see anyone.

A second later, everything went black.

* * *

Teddy opened his eyes, but it didn't help. Everything was still pitch black. "_Lumos_," he whispered. Nothing happened. Panic set in then. He, like most Slytherins, was terrified of the dark. "_Lumos_."

This time, something did happen. The room didn't get any brighter, but words began to form in the darkness. Teddy stood up as gold letters slowly appeared in front of him.

**Welcome to the Final Task**

**You and your fellow competitors are now prisoners of The Gollum. Your task is to escape. This Task will test everything you've demonstrated in these tournaments. You must return to the tournament arena before nightfall. Good luck.**

The letters faded. Teddy gripped his wand harder. "_Lumos__maxima_!" Finally, the room was illuminated, but just barely. There was nothing there. The walls were black. The third time he inspected the walls, he found one that slid away to reveal a pair of stairs. With a deep breath, he began to walk down the stairs.


	11. The Third Task

**Twiwizard Worldwide**

Teddy concentrated, and felt his hair go bright pink and blue. Something about those colors made him feel stronger. He crept down the stairs, wand out. Every so often, he silently cast another spell for light. It barely illuminated the next step. He stopped halfway down the long spiral. He had to get a hold of himself. He looked around, pointing his wand at the walls. They were made of some kind of gray brick. He reached out and touched it. It was damp.

The spot he touched turned into a hand. Multiple hands.

"BOLLOCKS!" Teddy yelled, running down the stairs. He stumbled near the bottom, but managed to avoid major injury. Panting, he spun around to make sure nothing was following him. He took a few deep breaths. "_Expecto patronum_!" It helped a little. The combined light from his wand and his wolf allowed him to see the room a bit. There were three doors to his left. He shot a spell at the one in the middle, marking it with an X. "_Alohamora_."

The door came open with a quiet snap. His Patronus went before him. The ground rumbled as he walked down the long corridor. It ended in a wide room with more doors. There was a noise to his right. He gripped his wand and opened the door.

Ayira came stumbling through. "Teddy!"

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"The walls…it's the house."

"I know," he said.

They stood back to back, staring at the dripping walls. It was an odd moment—they were supposed to be competing. Still, they couldn't move.

"This isn't going to help," Ayira said finally.

Teddy nodded. "We can't—"

At that moment, Matteo joined them. He wasn't alone.

The three of them cursed poetically in their respective languages. Ayira and Teddy weren't sure what Matteo had done to piss off the house, but if they lived through the next five minutes they'd be sure to ask.

The house had taken shape—and more than just the hands that had reached out from the walls for Teddy. This shape looked…not human, but big. And it definitely had hands. hands that looked like they could crush someone twice Teddy's size.

"_Confringo!_" he yelled.

The spell glanced off the Gollum, not even leaving a dent.

"_Incendio!_" He dodged the figure and shot another spell at it. The figure began to burn away with the help of the other two. "The bloody hell was that?"

But Matteo didn't say anything. He shoved Teddy away and ran through the door Ayira had just come through.

"He won't get far," Ayira muttered. "It's a dead end."

"I'm going to take this one," Teddy said, marking the door to the right with an X. "See you."

Ayira nodded, and went through the door next to him.

He went through the door, alone again. Careful not to touch the walls, he ran to the end of the hall. There was another door, as well as a set of stairs. "I hate everything right now."

* * *

He couldn't be sure how long he'd ran up and down stairs, through doors, over half walls, and out fake windows. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and sat down, panting. A hand came out of the walls, but he set it on fire without another look. He heard the other two, and he knew they were all getting close to the exit. "Point me." He took a moment to imagine celebrating with Kyo, Freddie and James. "_Expecto Patronum_!" He followed his wolf through another room, where Ayira and Matteo were fighting another, bigger, Gollum figure. He ran to join the fight. "Fire!" he told them. "Fire destroys it!"

They managed to burn most of it away. Teddy kept shooting the fire spell at it, but Matteo had stopped. The metamorphmagus turned, wand at the ready, but it was too late. Matteo shot a spell at him that blasted him backward, into what was left of the Gollum. "_Incendio! Confringo!" _He managed to get the arms burned away, and rolled out from under the creature. Ayira and Matteo had already run out of the house. He ran after them.

Outside wasn't much better than inside. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the light, and when they did, all he could see was a thick mist. He looked behind him, spotting his broom resting against the side of the house. "_Accio_!" As he rode into the air, he whispered, "Point me." As he flew west, still unaware of exactly where he was, the fog cleared away to simple clouds. He could see now, which did little to reassure him. If they were giving back his visibility, there had to be something worse coming.

There was. The clouds got darker, and the shouts were the only warning before the cold overtook him.

"Dementors?" he yelled. "What the fuck is wrong with you people?" he added, figuring that the judges were watching. He flew into the break in the clouds, and saw a swarm of Dementors. Ayira and Matteo were only a bit ahead of him, but the ghoulish creatures were coming toward him. "Want me? Have to catch me." He pulled straight up, a trail of black behind him. He just had to make it closer to where Ayira was fighting. "_Expecto Patronum_!" he yelled, casting his wolf behind him. He shot another Patronus in front of him, breaking a hole in the swarm. With a burst of speed, he flew straight though it. He felt something behind him, but it wasn't a Dementor. He flew into a dive, dodging a curse and flinging one of his own behind him. He could see the stands now, barely. The Triwizard Cup glittered on the podium in the center. He tossed another couple of spells behind him. He'd be there—safe—in another minute or so.

Two spells whizzed past his head. The third one hit him directly in the back. He went over the front of his broom. Halfway to the ground, he realized that he'd been put in a full body bind. He had a hold of his wand still "_Aresto Momentum_!" he thought with all his might. It slowed him, but barely. He could hear the screams as he hit. Then he couldn't hear anything.

He tried to blink. Harry appeared above him. Tears welled in his eyes as he looked up at his godfather. He watched as Harry talked urgently with Kingsley and Crawford. They seemed to be arguing about something.

The body bind lifted. Teddy screamed as the pain increased tenfold.

Everything went black.


	12. The Brave and the Wicked

**Triwizard Worldwide**

Harry took the cup of coffee Nurse Crawford offered him. He hadn't moved from the seat since they'd brought Teddy up. "Thank you," he said, yawning.

"Has he come out of it again yet?"

"For a second. Just long enough to ask if he'd lost. Didn't even have a chance to explain the…er…situation to him before he passed out again."

Crawford harrumphed as she checked Teddy's injuries again. She'd ranted for an hour straight when she'd first seen him. It was obvious that she really hated this tournament…. "Well, it looks like his bones are almost fully healed. The concussion is getting better, so he should be coming out of it soon. He'll need to take this," she said, setting a potion on the counter, "as soon as he wakes up."

"I'll make sure of it."

"How's Mrs. Tonks?"

"Better. Better than Kyo and James at least. Kyo keeps trying to come up here, and James is ready to kill someone. Namely Matteo."

"As to Kyo, I suppose I could make an exception for him. But Teddy's popular, and I don't want all of his friends in and out of here. Or all in here at the same time. As to James…not to play favorites, but I don't really blame him."

"It's not really a matter of playing favorites," Harry said darkly, looking down at his godson. "Everyone saw what happened."

The nurse nodded. "I'll be back in a moment."

* * *

Teddy opened his eyes slowly. His head hurt, along with various other body parts. "Harry? Grandmum?"

"We're right here, Teddy," Andromeda said.

"I feel like death."

"You look like it too, buddy," Jessie said, following Kyo into the room.

"Nurse Crawford tried to make her wait outside," Kyo said, smiling and nodding at Jessie. "But everyone else wants news."

"You lot know more than me," Teddy mumbled. "I lost, didn't I?"

"Er…that's a bit complicated actually," Andromeda said. She handed him a newspaper.

Teddy stared down at Matteo's face. "The Brave and the Wicked. What is this?"

"Read it," Harry said wearily. He wasn't unhappy about the decision, but this meant more press than Teddy would be ready for, and very soon.

"As the last Task of the World Tournament unfolded, it looked like Teddy Lupin would be the winner," Tedd read. "Having dominated the other two Tasks, it was apparent that he would do the same in this one. Though he got off to a slow start, he was able to make it out of the Gollum House quickly. Inadvertently, he helped the other two Champions, Ayira Traore and Matteo Oropeza, escape as well. This didn't matter, as Lupin caught up quickly in the Dementor Cloud. He used a diversionary tactic to make the Dementors follow him, thus lowering the number he had to fight through to leave the cloud. Oropeza, the Caracas Champion, followed closely behind him. The two engaged in a brief duel in midair, which culminated in Lupin being hit with a full body bind. He fell from forty feet, shattering most of the bones in his legs, two in his arms, and breaking two vertebrae. Oropeza was the first, and only, to reach the Triwizard Cup. Traore stopped to help Lupin. As Oropeza was tied in second place with Traore, it looked as if he had won the Tournament. However, there was a problem. Normally, a body bind would be a completely legal curse. Since Oropeza hit Lupin with the curse while in the air, however, it falls into the category of life threatening tactics—which are illegal according to Tournament rules. Thus, Oropeza was disqualified from the Tournament completely. From the letters the judges and papers have received, the public agrees with the ruling completely. People wonder what example we'd set for younger witches and wizards if we turned a blind eye to this ruthless style of competing. Of course, there is dissention. Some think that the entire competition encourages 'By Any Means Necessary' strategies. In any case, the judges awarded the win to Lupin. Since both of the other Champions failed to finish the Task, they awarded based on scores from the first two Tasks. Lupin's condition remains unknown."

"Harry's trying to keep the reporters out," Andromeda explained. "Damn good of him, too. I'd be in Azkaban if I'd had to deal with those vultures."

"_Chichi_ called a friend in Magical Law Enforcement here," Kyo said. "A few of them are stationed outside."

"All the fuss…."

"Well…" Harry started.

"What?" Teddy asked tiredly. He was about to pass out again.

"You've been out for a week, darling," Andromeda explained. "Reporters have been trying to get in the entire time. And it was looking bad for a while. We didn't want to tell them anything too soon. We've updated them."

"I… I didn't… want to win like this."

"Easy," Harry said. "Don't worry about the Tournament. It doesn't matter. Rest."

Teddy didn't need to be told twice. He closed his eyes again.

* * *

He knew someone was there. It was the same feeling he'd had before he was kidnapped for the last Task. Glad he'd asked for his wand back earlier, he gripped it tightly beneath the thick sheets.

"Calm down, Lupin. I'm not here to kill you."

Teddy opened his eyes to see Matteo at the foot of his bed. He didn't relax the grip on his wand. "What are you here for, then?"

"To see how you are. Between your boyfriend's bodyguards, your godfather and grandmother, and all of the crazy Americans in your little fan club, I haven't been able to get up to see you. You know I didn't mean to hurt you so bad, right?"

Teddy nodded as much as his sore neck would allow. "I know." It was what made reading the articles—the constant, ridiculous articles—so hard. He knew Matteo wasn't evil, just ready to win at any cost.

"Good. I'm glad." Matteo stood there silently for a moment. "I'll only ever be known as the slug that hurt the Golden Boy."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure my hair was blue and pink at that point," Teddy joked quietly.

"Either way…." Matteo said, smirking. "My dad won't even speak to me."

"Which is so hard, because you did it _all_ for _him_?" Teddy guessed. He'd heard that sentiment from almost every Gryffindor male for about three years. Quidditch was serious family business apparently.

"No. Actually it's a change for the better. Passive-aggressive bastard was stressing me out. Should've turned into the villain earlier. How hurt are you now?"

"I've got another week in here, according to Crawford."

"Fantastic. Once you get out, the media will be swarming you. They'll leave me alone for a while."

"Saw your interview. You apologize like a Slytherin. Which is to say, you don't apologize at all."

"Why should I? You're the one I hurt, not them. I shouldn't have to kiss the entire world's _culo _for the rest of my life, when you've moved on."

There were noises outside. One of the MLE members rushed in. "Teddy! Are you alright?"

"Fine. Matteo just wanted to talk."

"I'm leaving," Matteo said.

The MLE man kept his wand on the other Champion as he walked out the door.

"Good night," Teddy said.


	13. What Came After

**Triwizard Worldwide**

Hugs were shared. Promises to visit were made. Bets were placed on whether or not James would be the next Triwizard Champion. Goodbyes were said.

Teddy didn't know if he should feel guilty or not, but he was really quite ready to go. After the hospital, there had been such an endless string of reporters and photographers that the judges had set up protective charms on the compound so the students could have some peace. He was ready to be back in Cambridge with his grandmum.

"I'll see you in a few months, then?" he asked Kyo as the families lined up for Portkeys.

"Yes. Minister Shaklebolt said I can start my internship as soon as I'm ready."

"Brilliant! I…er…I'm getting an apartment in London next month. Gringotts will have me training for the next year before I'm a licensed curse-breaker. You could stay with me… if you want."

Kyo smiled and kissed him. "We'll see."

The hand bell on the table in front of them began to glow. Teddy hugged Kyo one last time. "See you."

"I'll write to you." Kyo picked up the bell and was gone a moment later.

Teddy made his way back through the crowd to another line. Harry and James were waiting for him there. "Ready?" he asked them.

"When you are," Harry said, nodding to the glowing binder.

* * *

"Teddy!" James yelled, then started coughing.

Teddy walked through the kitchen, nibbling on his sandwich. He found James and Harry in his living room, both covered in soot. "Morning!" he said brightly.

"Nice hair," Harry said, grinning.

"Green rocks. Let's go get James ready for Hogwarts."

They Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron, where they met up with Ginny. All eyes turned to their party as they made their way to the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Maybe I should disguise myself," Teddy suggested.

"They'll know it's you anyway," James said, shrugging. "You're always with us."

"He's got a point," Ginny said, ruffling Teddy's green hair. "Just ignore it."

Easier said than done. Kids in front of the Quidditch shop wanted his autograph. Shop owners tried to get him to buy things he didn't even need. Reporters were everywhere…. By lunch, he was ready to kick the next person who even mentioned the Tournament.

"Teddy! Teddy Lupin!"

With a deep sigh, he turned to see another reporter heading his way. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to congratulate you on winning the Tournament," the man said. "Asa Willington, from Wizard Beat. Do you have a minute? Maybe we could have a word?"

Teddy saw Harry about to say something and held up his hand. "It's alright, Harry. Go on. I'll catch you up."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Positive." There was only one way to make the madness end. He had to give an interview. "Shall we go to Fortescue's, Mr. Willington? They have a great lemon cheesecake ice cream."

"Sure, son!" Willington agreed.

As they walked, Teddy put everything on the table for the reporter. "Look," he said. "Up until now, I've dodged the lot of you. I needed time to recover, you see."

"Understandable, my boy. Quite understandable."

"But it's not like I can run from the news forever. And since Matteo's still getting grief, I figure it makes sense that I am too. So here's my proposal," he said, stopping in front of the ice cream shop. "We go in here, get a snack, and I'll tell you everything you want to know. You can ask me about anything in the Tournament or about what's up with me now. Anything. I won't hold back. But you have to promise me something."

"What's that?" Willington asked.

"You have to find Matteo, Ayira, Jessie, Owen and Kyo, and run an article on them as well. And you can't bug Matteo about the third Task. I've forgiven him—we have an understanding. But they're all doing great things now. They all worked really hard during their own Tournaments. They deserve some press. And don't put this into the article," he added. "I'm sick of people making me out to be some sort of saint. Frankly, I'm tired of the attention. They can and should have the spotlight."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Willington said with a smile. "Shall we go inside?"

Teddy nodded and led the way. He was ready to get it all out. The Triwizard Tournament would finally be behind him.

**_Fin_**


End file.
